Contribute towards sustainable education programs while learning about educational inequalities, alongside local partners, such as Save the Children, Mexico.

Program Information

Discover service learning in Mexico's charming city of Playa del Carmen. Contribute to the education of the local community by helping to improve the community’s non-formal education center. Develop students' personal and career focused skills by completing connected educational assignments, all part of a comprehensive curriculum.

OverviewCurriculumThe ProjectItineraryEnquire Now

Overview

The program will focus on improving basic human rights through educational development, infrastructure improvement, and reciprocal cultural exchange, and will take place in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, with white sands, palm trees, and deep blue waters of the Caribbean coast on the Yucatan Peninsula.

These projects range in content suitable for students studying academic disciplines such as:

- Environmental awareness workshops;
- Conversational English lessons;
- Working with children with special needs;
- Providing women’s health workshops and general health campaigns;
- Holding sports clinics or engaging in sport activities with children with special needs;
- Business development workshops on marketing and advertising, business plans, management and sales, budgeting and forecasting, SWAT analysis, or presentation skills.

Testimonial

At the request of the school staff, we created learning materials so the staff can teach road safety and assisted with initiating a clothing drive to raise funds for the school. I think it’s very exciting for GVI to be initiating this program to assist in providing the best opportunities to these children. I look forward to following the GVI blog to see how this program develops!

Meals while on project (except on work placements for long term internships)

Safe and basic accommodations (usually shared)

Welcome meeting

What's Not Included

Additional drinks and gratuities

Extra local excursions

Flights

International and domestic airport taxes

Medical and travel insurance

Personal kit

Police or background check (where necessary)

Visa costs

GVI Live

GVI Seychelles

Cap Ternay: We have a new blog! Click the link below and read about Melanie's experience on base! 🦈... https://t.co/8Ww6TNCvBB

2 days ago

Here, divers spotted a pair of whitetip reef sharks while out diving in the coral reef off the coast of our base on Mahe Island, Seychelles.
Whitetip reef sharks are one of the most common sharks found on the Indo-Pacific coral reefs. They are rarely aggressive towards humans, though they may get quite curious of divers.
During the day, whitetip reef sharks spend much of their time resting inside caves. Unlike other species of shark, these ones don’t have to keep moving to draw air from the water.
They are found almost exclusively in coral reef habitats. Whitetip reef sharks are most often spotted around coral heads, over sandy flats, in lagoons, and near drop-offs to deeper water. They prefer very clear water and rarely swim far from the bottom.
On our Marine Conservation Expedition in Seychelles you will Scuba Dive in the Indian Ocean and conduct research towards conserving critical coral reefs.
Sign up for summer in Mahe here: http://bit.ly/2nsMM1e

Curriculum

This inter-disciplinary program introduces students to international service-learning and sustainable development in content and practice, in Playa del Carmen. Through lectures, discussion, research, service, and reflection (beginning two weeks prior to their departure and continuing two weeks after their return home), students in this program engage in meaningful, context-driven service-learning at home and abroad. Emphasis will be placed on relating long-term project goals with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and engaging in daily reflection surrounding the experience, which will be led by qualified group facilitators who are trained to enhance individual student development. The program curriculum will be tailored to your students’ academic needs as well as any faculty requirements.

A GVI service-learning program provides students with the opportunity to live and work within the “classroom” of their chosen field of study, and to develop professional capacities associated with intercultural competency, global citizenship, teamwork, problem-solving, and leadership. By participating in this program, students will be prepared to contribute to solutions for critical global issues related to sustainable development within a local community, and alongside an international team.

What's Included

24-hour emergency phone

24-hour in-country support

A dedicated course co-ordinator

Access to Alumni Services and Discounts

Airport pick-up (unless otherwise stated)

All necessary project equipment and materials

All necessary project training by experienced staff

Flight bookings service on request

In-country transport costs

Insurance on request

Location orientation

Long term experienced staff

Meals while on project (except on work placements for long term internships)

Safe and basic accommodations (usually shared)

Welcome meeting

What's Not Included

Additional drinks and gratuities

Extra local excursions

Flights

International and domestic airport taxes

Medical and travel insurance

Personal kit

Police or background check (where necessary)

Visa costs

The Project

The objectives for each GVI project are based on specific United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. In Playa, students will largely contribute to need-based community development projects in surrounding areas that primarily improve the general infrastructure and learning environments for local disadvantaged children.

Playa del Carmen's short, mid, and long-term objectives

All of our programs have short, mid and long-term objectives that fit with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. This enables us to report on our collaborative impact across the world in a streamlined manner, measuring which UN SDGs we are making a substantial contribution to. Furthermore, this will help our local partners and communities measure and visualize their contribution to the UN SDGs.

Upon arrival to base, you will be educated about the history of the UN SDGs. You will learn about the specific goals of your location, the long-, mid- and short-term objectives, and also clarification of how your personal, shorter-term involvement contributes to these goals on a global level.

Our aim is to educate you on local and global issues, so that you continue to act as active global citizens after your program, helping to fulfil our mission of building a global network of people united by their passion to make a difference.

Learn about the long-term objectives you will be contributing to in Playa del Carmen:

Improve the quality of education at the Ludoteca, Contando con un amigo and Corazones

Raise awareness on animal welfare

Increase in-country capacity by providing training to local members of the community

Minimize the environmental impact on the Playa base and projects, and raise awareness of environmental issues amongst volunteers and children in the projects

Increase the quality of the resources at the ludoteca, escuelita, Contando con un amigo, Corazones and Coco's

Improve the volunteer's experience in the projects.

Itinerary

Example Itinerary:

This program varies in duration, depending on project requirements as well as cultural expeditions or activities. The below outlines a one week in-country program; however, your in-country service can run for as many weeks as set by your academic curriculum, objectives, and requirements.

Pre-Departure

Two weeks prior to departure, students will be assigned readings and assignments. These assignments make sure they have a basic cultural understanding of Mexico and it’s local conservation-based issues; a foundational understanding of international service learning and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals; and begin a dialogue surrounding global engagement. Materials will be chosen based on collaboration with the group’s educational leader to ensure the work fits within the group’s in-class curriculum.

In-Country:

Day 1- Arrival at Cancun Airport and Transfer to Base

Your team will be met at Cancun International Airport by a GVI staff member or appointed representative. The group will travel immediately to the project location near the town of Playa del Carmen on the beautiful Yucatán Peninsula.

Students will be accommodated in dorm-style rooms, and will have a chance in the afternoon to relax and settle in. In the afternoon, there will be an initial welcome presentation and introduction to the GVI staff, history and background of the projects, as well as a health and safety breakdown.

Day 2- Welcome and Orientation

The next day will include a welcome presentation and introduction to the history and background of the conservation efforts GVI is involved in, both in Mexico and worldwide. There will also be a guided introduction to the local area, as well as an educational culture and language class. In the evening, a reflection period will take place in which participants will debrief and review their initial reactions and observations on the experience and location.

Day 3-5-Daily Structure: Service, Education, and Reflection

During the week the group will be involved in community development efforts and will be transported to the project site where they will work side-by-side local community members and our partner organizations, like the Save the Children Foundation. Specific projects will depend on the needs of the centers at the time, and could involve educational enhancement, engagement in construction and renovation projects, as well as creative activities, basic healthcare and hygiene programs, and sports development initiatives.

All service elements will be connected to a greater understanding of the cultural context in which the students are working. Assignments, in the form of lectures, readings, written response papers, journal entries, group presentations, and miscellaneous creative projects will be conducted daily to enhance student learning from their service involvement. Daily reflection sessions will act as the bridge that connects and helps to synthesize the many aspects of the experience.

Particular emphasis will be placed on the ways in which participants are working towards achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Students will critically examine their part in this process, by analyzing their contributions, challenges, and observations.

Day 6- Exploring Mexico

The group will have the opportunity to take in local sights of historical importance and international recognition. Depending on the group’s interests there will be
opportunities to snorkel off Akumal, where students can swim alongside turtles feeding on sea grass. If arriving in season, there may also be a chance to learn about nesting turtles and hatchlings as well as the conservation issues surrounding their protection. Another option is to visit a Cenote, a natural swimming hole formed by the collapse of porous limestone bedrock, which reveal a secret subterranean world. The team will learn about the system of cave cenotes that spread through southern Mexico and hear why Mayans regard them as ‘sacred wells’. There is also the option to explore a local Mayan Ruin, taking a peak into the lives of the ancient civilizations that inhabited the region, and relishing in the gorgeous views of the Yucatán coastline before heading out for a last traditional Mexican meal.

Day 7- A Fond Farewell

GVI field staff transfer the team back to the airport and bid them a fond farewell! GVI will endeavour to keep the group informed of any updates there might be in the field and with particular reference to the projects participants contributed to during their time in Mexico.

Post-Return

Students will continue to engage with active reflection and educational expansion two weeks after leaving Mexico, with emphasis placed on incorporating the international experience, and insights gained which are then applied to the students’ home context. Assignments will involve generating ideas to continue global engagement, connecting the experience to personal and career goals, and reflecting on the insights gained while in the field.